Snap-ring binder



April 19, 1966 R. L. LANG 3,246,652

SNAP-RING BINDER Filed Oct. 50, 1962 TIP .1.

INVENTOR -/2O FIOBEQT L. LANG BY kw, 5M J 51 Aim United States Patent 3,246,652 SNAP-RING BINDER Robert L. Lang, Boston, Mass., assignor to The General Tire & Rubber Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed Oct. 39;, 1962, Ser. No. 234,083 2 Claims. (Cl. 129-24) This invention relates generally to ring binders suited for use with loose leaf papers, books and the like and, more particularly, to an improved and simplified actuatings tructu-re for such binders.

'lhere are numerous varieties of paper fasteners of the type adapted to be opened to provide for addition or removal of material in use today. A popular type is the split ring binder used in loose leaf tablets. This binder provides an excellent means for storing material which is subject to periodic-a1 change to supplementation since it is simple to operate, all of the material is readily accessible and it is neat and attractive in appearance.

These ring binders are generally metallic and are actuated by parallel abutting strips biased by a spring cover or shield. The structure of these devices is fully described in many patents such as US. Patent 2,498,902. The split ring binder, although useful and reliable, is more costly than desired for many types of uses due to complexity, cost of materials and time and effort required in assembly. This expense somewhat limits this binder to applications where the use is sufliciently frequent and continuing to justify the cost or the nature of the records dictates a requirement for this type binding. They are many additional applications, now accomplished by less desirable types of binders, in which a more inexpensive split ring binder could be utilized. This invention contemplates providing such a binder which could be produced at a cost comparable to competing binders such, for example, as the conventional prong type or clamp type fasteners. This is accomplished by providing a simple, two-part ring binder which utilizes the inherent elasticity of its parts to provide spring action to bias and lock the rings in open and shut positions.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide inexpensive split ring binders for loose leaf paper, books, periodicals, memoranda, briefs and the like.

It is another object of this invention to provide a split ring binder which will have much wider application and use than the present binders.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a simple split ring binder having a minimum number of parts and which incorporates the inherent properties of the structure to provide spring biasing and locking for the rings.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved snap action for a split ring binder structure.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a two-part split ring binder in which one of the parts of the binder may be provided as an integral part of its carrying structure.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts thereof and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of an embodiment of the invention showing the ring binder as an integral part of a loose leaf notebook;

FIG. 2 is a sectional end view, partly broken away, of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the operation of the invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view, partly broken away, of a portion of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

3,245,552 Patented Apr. 19, 1966 FIG. 4 is a planform view of an embodiment of the invention showing the ring binder as a separate unit attached to a clip board.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3, flexible strip 2 is shown disposed in channel 4. Book covers 6 are molded with a hinged connection to the longitudinal sides of channel 4 which is defined by a central web 5 and a pair of normally extending arms or walls 7. The channel member 4 also includes ridges 9 formed integral with the arms 7 which provide a top surface 9a to effect a constrai-nment of the flexible strip 2. Strip 2 is formed with a greater width than the width of the channel 4 resulting in a bowing or arcing of the strip when it is assembled in the channel. Projections 8 are spaced along the lateral sides of strip 2 extending through openings 10 in the sides of channel 4 to provide hinged connections between the strip and the channel.

stiffening rib 12 is provided along the center of strip 2 terminating at either end of the strip in tabs 14.

Ring fingers 16 project upwardly from strip 2 and are disposed to engage to form a ring when the strip is flexed downwardly towards channel member 4 as shown in FIG. 2.

In operation, this embodiment performs in much the same manner as the standard metallic ring binder. Referning to FIG. 2, the rings are opened by upward pressure on tabs 14, which causes strip 2 to reverse its flexure away from channel 4 to position 2a, thereby providing a snap opening of ring fingers 16 as in FIG. 1. The rings are closed by reversing the procedure and imposing a downward pressure on tabs 14. The rings are retained in their extreme posit-ions by the over center condition of strip 2.

The binder shown in the drawings as described above is, of course, illustrative and could be provided as an integral unit with other carriers such as clip boards, or as a unit for attachment to suitable covers, clip boards, racks or the like. FIG. 4 illustrates one of the latter applications and shows a separate unit binder 18 having channel 4, ring fingers 16 and flexible strip 2 connected to clip board 20 by rivets 22. The operation of the unit is the same as that for the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 3. The unit could also be furnished unattached for use with memos, records, briefs or the like. Although any suitable flexible material, metallic or otherwise, could be used in the construction of this invention, a flexible plastic such, for example, as polyethylene or the like, is desirable since its ease of fabrication allows unitary molding of the rings and flexible strip and the low cost is in keeping with the objectives of the invention.

'Ihe manner of hinged connection between the parts 2 and 4 is also illustrative. This joint could equally be accomplished by use of a tab in groove joint or similar connection.

It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed to be new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A loose leaf binder comprising a backing member having spaced and longitudinally disposed walls projecting therefrom, an elastically deformable plastic unitary planar strip having complementary half ring fingers integrally molded thereon, said strip being pivotally interposed and retained between the walls of said member and constrained thereby in a laterally arcuate configuration, said member being configured to provide flexure of said strip between two oppositely disposed reverse arcuate extremes toward and away from said member, said strip further having a longitudinal reinforcing rib disposed along the center thereof and terminating in re- 3 duced strip actuating .tabs at either end thereof for arcuately displacing said strip relative to said member, said complementary half rings abutting to describe closed rings when said strip is arcuately displaced towards said member.

2. A loose leaf binder in accordance with claim 1, wherein said strip is pivotally connected to the walls of said member by means comprising a plurality of projections extending from the lateral sides of said strip, a similar plurality of projection receiving slots through the walls of said member, said projections being disposed through said slots, and enlarged end portions on said projections to retain them in said slots.

4 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1906 Wheildon 129-24 11/1925 Cr0we1l 129-24 4/1935 Birbaum 129-24 10/1939 Ehrlund et al. 129-24 10/ 1962 Duncan 129-24 10/1963 Duncan 129-24 5/1964 Gits 129-24 FOREIGN PATENTS 4/1943 Switzerland.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. 15 LAWRENCE CHARLES, JEROME SC I-INALL,

Examiners. 

1. A LOOSE LEAF BINDER COMPRISING A BACKING MEMBER HAVING SPACED AND LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED WALLS PROJECTING THEREFROM, AN ELASTICALLY DEFORMABLE PLASTIC UNITARY PLANAR STRIP HAVING COMPLEMENTARY HALF RING FINGERS INTEGRALLY MOLDED THEREON, SAID STRIP BEING PIVOTALLY INTERPOSED AND RETAINED BETWEEN THE WALLS OF SAID MEMBER AND CONSTRAINED THEREBY IN A LATERALLY ARCUATE CONFIGURATION, SAID MEMBER BEING CONFIGURED TO PROVIDE FLEXURE OF SAID STRIP BETWEEN TWO OPPOSITELY DISPOSED REVERSE ARCUATE EXTREMES TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID MEMBER, SAID STRIP FURTHER HAVING A LONGITUDINAL REINFORCING RIB DISPOSED ALONG THE CENTER THEREOF AND TERMINATING IN REDUCED STRIP ACTUATING TABS AT EITHER END THEREOF FOR ARCUATELY DISPLACING SAID STRIP RELATIVE TO SAID MEMBER, SAID COMPLEMENTARY HALF RINGS ABUTTING TO DESCRIBE CLOSED RINGS WHEN SAID STRIP IS ARCUATELY DISPLACED TOWARDS SAID MEMBER. 